Over the last two years, much has been made about the Oklahoma Sooners’ defensive line. All offseason the talk some wondered if this was a unit that could hold this team back.
One player that’s been at the center of some of the criticism was Ethan Downs. On Saturday, he had arguably his best game as a Sooner and put the doubt about Oklahoma’s defensive line to rest.
Downs registered three tackles and two sacks. He was gap sound. He didn’t let plays get outside of him, which was an issue for the entire defense a season ago. He played with an incredibly high motor.
“I always try to play that way,” Downs said after the win. “Today, we were all highly motivated. It was easy for us to go out there and keep pushing, keep grinding but I also happened to fall into some things that other guys have done the last three weeks. We just keep fitting our gaps and keep being a sound defense and it showed up.”
Downs also let Texas Longhorns quarterback [autotag]Quinn Ewers[/autotag] hear about his sacks a few times. He admits the emotions of the game might have gotten the best of him.
“I try not to cuss on the field,” Downs said. “Emotions get wild, but nothing against him, he’s a great quarterback but I was just fired up. Finally got a sack and juiced up. I got plenty of warnings on the sideline. ‘Hey you can’t be doing that anymore. That’s too close.”
For all of the criticism coming into this season about the defensive line, they rose to the occasion. They finished with five sacks and 10 tackles for loss. They also held a really good Texas run game to 156 yards on 3.9 yards per carry.
Now, the Sooners can’t rest on this win. It’s up to them to build on it to ultimately accomplish the goals they set before the season.
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